It’s ironic that the biggest “scandal” of Super Bowl XLV has been Ben Roethlisberger singing karaoke at a piano bar.  I put “scandal” in quotes because only a humongous tool would think Big Ben did anything wrong by enjoying a night out with his teammates.  And I say ironic because music seems to be Steeler Nation‘s second favorite pastime after watching the Pittsburgh Steelers. Every day for the past two weeks, my inbox has been deluged with odes to the most decorated franchise in NFL history.

Of course, the most popular is Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa‘s “Black and Yellow.”  I’m not really much of a rap/hip-hop fan but if someone petitioned Mayor Raven SteelersStahl to make that the city’s official anthem, I’d sign up.  I dare any proud yinzer (or ex-yinzer) to watch that video and not swell (or swool as the rappers say) with hometown pride.  To show the power of Steeler Nation, the single has been certified Double Platinum (ie: two million units sold) and currently sits at #3 on Billboard’s top 100.  I know I have a nationwide readership so those of you around the country, please call or email your favorite radio station requesting that song so we can take over the airwaves like we take over opposing teams’ stadiums.

The Green Bay Packers have struck back with a song by Lil Wayne called “Green and Yellow.”  This is hilarious because, for one, Lil Wayne is from New Orleans.  He’s not from Green Bay nor has he probably ever been to Green Bay.  I can’t really blame them for seeking outside help since, let’s face it, tipping over cows during the dead of night passes for “creativity” in Wisconsin.

Anyway, I’ve been deluged with Steelers Fight Songs, so I decided to devote a post toward the end of the week to them.  Personally, I’m happy with “Renegade” but I’m a huge fan of 80s hair bands.  Leave a comment on which one(s) you like the best.  Hopefully some of these get you FIRED UP!

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Actually, it was a Captain and Diet Coke.

Video of Ben Roethlisberger singing karaoke at a piano bar surfaced on rumor-mongering website TMZ yesterday.  Naturally, this became the lead story on SportsCenter and every other sports talk show on the planet.  I didn’t want to dignify this story by paying it any more attention than it deserved (which is none), especially since Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette did a pretty thorough job of eviscerating it in this morning’s P-G. However, since everybody from Ben to Mike Tomlin was asked about it, I felt I had to at least mention this laugh-out-loud stupid story here.

He was singing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”

The only negative thing about the story to me is the part about him tipping $200 on an $800 tab.  A few bar wenches down on the South Side were probably stewing when they heard that.  Not that I have any problem with Ben stiffing bartenders or waitresses on a tip.   I don’t tip because society says I have to.  All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I’ll give them a little something extra.  But tipping automatically or leaving an enormous tip just because everybody knows you make millions a dollars of year playing football, screw that.

He was singing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”

I’m sorry I keep coming back to that but could he have picked a more bland non-threatening singer and song?  My parents listen to Billy Joel.  I could see if they caught him doing “Candy Shop” by Fitty.  Or “Sexyback” by Timberlake.  Maybe he should have dedicated a rendition of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” to his friends down in Milledgeville.

I am honestly disgusted the media has tried making this into a story.  Than again, TMZ “reporters” make their living picking through garbage looking for used condoms outside Charlie Sheen’s house so I guess we should expect it from them.  I only wish reputable outlets like ESPN or the major newspapers wouldn’t give them the attention they crave.  He went to a piano bar.  Where is the video of Hines Ward making it rain at a strip club?

I could see if he was falling down drunk.  Which he wasn’t.  I could see if he missed curfew.  Which he didn’t.   The hotel keycards automatically lock the doors at one a.m. so unless he and two or three three hundred pound linemen climbed up a fire escape and through a second story window, they were all back within the allotted time.

When the Super Bowl hoopla began, I knew Ben would be the big story all week.  However, the level of media scrutiny and unfair persecution he’s suffered from ignorant fools makes me root for him all the more.  Not only do I hope he plays well on Sunday, I hope he wins the MVP.  And afterward, he should thank God, his family, his teammates, and Steeler Nation.   Then give the middle finger to all the bastards who have tried unsuccessfully to bring him down.

For the second time in three seasons, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers has won the coveted AP Defensive Player of the Year award.  It should come as a shock to no one that Troy Polamalu has finally added that honor to his already Hall of Fame worthy resume.  The only question was by what margin would he emerge victorious?

Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of good players out there.  But nobody is capable of taking over a game the way Troy does.  Polamalu was almost single-handedly responsible for the Steelers winning at least three games this season.  His interception in the season opener allowed the team to eventually win in overtime.  Against the Bengals, his Pick Six completely changed the momentum of the game.  And who can forget his karate chop on Joe Flacco in week 13, setting up the game-winning touchdown?  That play was undoubtedly the biggest play of the season, setting up the monumental run the Black and Gold currently find themselves on.

Clay Matthews is a decent enough player.  But his numbers aren’t even as good as James Harrison‘s (who finished third, by the way).    Silverback had almost twice as many tackles (100 vs 60), twice as many picks (2 vs 1) and forced three times as many fumbles (6 vs 2).  In fact, LaMarr Woodley, who got no votes, had numbers that were nearly identical to the Cheesehead Fabio.  The Steelers failure to sweep at least the top two spots is a direct result of the Ginger Dictator’s persecution of the Steelers which unfairly branded James as a dirty player.  Had the commish not been so blatant in his campaign against the Black and Gold, Dick LeBeau‘s defense could’ve been looking at an unprecedented showing.

However, we’ll have to be satisfied with what we did get.  Troy Polamalu is a Christian gentleman of the highest order and his winning this award despite missing a number of games due to injury is testament to his heart and will to succeed.   The last time the Steelers had an AP Defensive Player of the Year, he only pulled off the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history.  Let’s hope history repeats itself on Sunday in more ways than one.

D-Day has arrived for Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. When the team set down on godforsaken Texas soil to a raucous greeting from Steeler Nation, Super Bowl week had officially begun.  And the signature event of any Super Bowl week is the circus known as Media Day.  Sometime later this afternoon, every Steeler will have a microphone thrust in front of him by garbage picking paparazzi and tight-jeaned bimbos from TV Azteca.

Naturally, the person everybody will want to speak with is Big Ben.  And you know some idiot will attempt to garner a name for themselves and their bottom-feeding website at his expense.  Every Super Bowl needs a storyline and since the Green Bay Packers treating their injured players like trash is rather boring, the big story will undoubtedly be Ben Roethlisberger.

If (actually, more like when since it’s inevitable) some tool ambushes Ben at Media Day, I’m going to try my best to ignore it.  These kind of ignorant self-important people aren’t worth my time nor Ben’s nor Steeler Nation’s.  For an example of the kind of vile close-minded nonsense you’re likely to read, you need look no further than this article by Buzz Bissinger.

Buzz is the author “Friday Night Lights” (the movie, not the awesome television series).  He’s one of those cranky old coots who smugly acts superior to others by virtue of his career accomplishments as if writing a bestselling novel gives one license to be a dick.  He’s your typical elitist snob who was born on third base but thinks he hit a triple.  All you need to know about his world view is he’s right, you’re wrong, and facts, proof, and educated opinion hold no sway.

Quoth Buzz:

But it was the television shot of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the sidelines that interested me the most. It was all in the eyes, unmoving, not even a single blink, aimed at a faraway distance only he could see.

And from that shot, Buzz concluded Ben was guilty of sexual assault.  See, a former prosecutor once told him sexual predators have a cold unwavering stare so from a 10 second sideline shot, he was able to gaze deep within Ben’s soul and divine the truth.  Man, that grandstanding DA down in Georgia must be an imbecile.  How could he not prove with facts and evidence what Buzz was able to see with his Penance Stare?

His concluding statement was even more fascinating.  Buzz is known for an infamous appearance on HBO’s Bob Costas show where he went on a long mean-spirited and ill-informed rant on blogs and bloggers.  The crux of his argument was bloggers often make extreme statements and reach ill-informed conclusions because they don’t follow any standards of journalistic ethics.  Kinda like concluding Ben is guilty of sexual assault because his eyes told you so?

But maybe time has come to let bygones be bygones. Maybe Big Ben is a different Big Ben. So good luck in Super Bowl XLV.

May the Packers break your legs on the first series of downs.

Oh yeah, that’s not extreme and irresponsible at all, Buzz.  Nice to know his private school upbringing and Ivy League education has put him so far above us lowly bloggers.  Ill-informed conclusion?   Check.  Outrageous statements for effect?  Check.  Then again, the guy spent a lot of time in Philly which is guaranteed to kill most of your brain cells.

Unfortunately, Buzz is not alone on the “Get Ben,” bandwagon.   SI’s Peter King  in his weekly column revealed the “shocking” scoop that Roger Goodell said none of Ben’s teammates spoke highly of him when he was deciding on a suspension.  I put shocking in quotes because this is what King said Goodell had told him:

[I talked to] I bet two dozen [Steelers] players, and not one, not a single player, went to his defense. I wasn’t personal in a sense, but all kinds of stories like, ‘He wouldn’t sign my jersey.’ “

Pretty damning, huh?  NONE OF BEN’S TEAMMATES LIKE HIM!  HE’S A TURRIBLE TURRIBLE PERSON!  BOO!

Except the Ginger Dictator said nothing of the sort.  He said he talked to two dozen players and King just assumed he meant Steeler players.  And we all know what happens when we assume, don’t we?  It makes an ass of you and Peter King.

When Ben’s cherished teammates were predictably outraged by this misrepresentation, Ginger immediately clarified, forcing King to retract his slanderous remarks.  It also came out this interview was done OVER A MONTH AGO.  Why is King rolling these comments out now when they would’ve been newsworthy, oh, say, when he originally did the interview?

Two guesses.  It’s simply yet another example of the media’s never-ending quest to assassinate the Steelers in general and Big Ben in particular.  He didn’t sign your jersey?  What are you, six?  If I were a superstar quarterback and some nobody from the Bengals came around asking me to sign crap for him, I’d tell him to beat it too.  Granted, Ben was far from the model teammate (which I’ve pointed out on numerous occasions) but as James Farrior said, “I definitely didn’t think he should be suspended for four games.”  No logical thinking adult, except perhaps Buzz Bissinger and obtuse individuals of his ilk, thought Ben should be suspended for one minute of action.   The fact that he accepted such an unfair and unjustified punishment speaks volumes about his willingness to sacrifice in order to protect the shield.

If you peruse the four letter, P-G, Trib,  SI, or simply search for Ben Roethlisberger news later today, don’t be surprised if you read about somebody going after our beloved quarterback.  The media is on this story like a dog on a bone and they’ll continue frothing at the mouth until the ball is kicked off on Sunday.  Pittsburghers are people of strong moral fiber and impeccable character.   We care about our city and each other.   We don’t stab, shoot, and rob each other like they do in Philly or Baltimore.  More to the point, we understand the value of forgiveness.  Hold your heads high, Steeler Nation, for we, like Ben, will get through this only to be rewarded in five short days.

Noli nothis permittere te terere

When Ben Roethlisberger dropped to his knees at the conclusion of the AFC Championship game, I teared up a little right along with him.  No man should ever have to experience what he’s gone through this season.  As Super Bowl XLV approaches, be prepared for every one of his sins, a few of them real, most of them imagined, to be rehashed ad nauseum by the horde of reporters covering the big game.  Remember Media Week is more akin to a circus where every garbage picking TMZ reporter or bubble-assed bimbo from TV Azteca is issued a press pass.

Hell, when the NFL offers a goofy blogger like me media credentials, you know anybody can get in.

Remember last week when I told all of you the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl is the NFL’s worst nightmare?  As soon as the first pseudo-journalist questions Big Ben about Milledgville, that nightmare will have become reality.   Don’t believe me?   It’s already started.

New York Daily News fired the first shot with this article condemning ESPN for not rehashing every one of the phony trumped up allegations made by that drunk skank down Georgia.  How dare they skip over every totally unproven detail!  Should we also flash a picture of a mutilated dog every time we speak of Michael Vick?  Or how about the bloody knife Ray Lewis used to stab that guy to death in Atlanta?

Yesterday, the Daily News was trumped in the stupidity department by the venerable New York Times. A hairy arm-pitted disciple of Oprah is evidently upset by the stories of Ben’s redemption.  “How exactly is winning football games making up for mistreating women,” she asks in the same indignant tone she no doubt uses when one of her 37 cats breaks a vase.  She then goes on to suggest, “If Roethlisberger were to take his playoff winnings and use it to make the lives of abused women better,” then he would be redeemed.

Where to start with this inanity.  Truly, it makes me sad that a once great newspaper allows unmitigated hacks to print this drivel within its pages.  First off, honey, nice of you to automatically assume Ben mistreated women without the benefit of pesky little things like facts or evidence.  Perhaps instead of worrying about Ben Roethlisberger, you might pen a column wondering why a twenty year old girl would have such low moral character that she’d get wasted and blow an athlete in a dingy bathroom.  As for the charity suggestion, I guess she missed all the charitable efforts Ben has made on behalf of firemen, policemen, and the John Challis Foundation.

I guess being exceeding kind to a kid with terminal cancer didn’t fit her womyn’s libber agenda.

The caption under the above picture is Latin.  Yes, I speak Latin.  I went to Carnegie Mellon, I’m a nerd.  It roughly translates to “Never let the bastards bring you down.”  Which is a fitting caption, both figurative and literal, for Big Ben’s life.  He never allows opposing players to drag him down without a fight.  And he’s never let the people standing in the way of his dreams take them away.

In 2004, teams fought over Philip Rivers and Eli Manning while Ben was an afterthought.  Ten players were chosen before him, including such luminaries as Robert Gallery and Reggie Williams.  Ben never let the bastards bring him down.

In 2005, people derided him as a game-manager.  He answered them in the playoffs when he out-dueled Peyton Manning among others while guiding the first sixth seed to ever win a Lombardi Trophy.  Ben never let the bastards bring him down.

In 2008, Ben was coming off a sub-par year thanks to the after-effects of a near-fatal motorcycle accident.  People wondered if he was truly a franchise quarterback.  Facing the toughest schedule in 30 years, Ben led six fourth quarter comebacks against a host of playoff caliber teams.   But he saved his best for last when he heroically led the team down the field in the greatest last second game-winning drive in Super Bowl history.  Ben never let the bastards bring him down.

In 2010, Ben was unjustly suspended after baseless accusations by a slutty sorority girl.  Despite no charges being filed, he was vilified in the media and punished by the league.  When he returned to the field, opposing players suckerpunched and cheapshotted him on a regular basis with absolutely no protection from either the officials or the NFL.  In the AFC Championship game, he faced the New York Jets, whose classless fans chanted “She Said No” at the NFL Draft several months earlier despite their inept quarterback having the exact same accusations made against him in college, and defeated them.

When Ben brings home his third championship in six years a little over a week from now, I’m sure he’ll break down yet again.  And he’ll have every reason to.  For at that moment, Ben will have proven once and for all he’ll never let the bastards bring him down.